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The database contains publications from CROSS-AUS and CROSS International partners. CROSS-AUS publications have the text ‘AUS’ in the publication title - all other publications are from CROSS International partners.
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Found 308 document/s:
31 Materials falling from old buildings - SCOTCROSS
The SCOTCROSS scheme started in the summer of 05 and in the first 6 months more than 250 reports were received from 17 Scottish Local Authorities about objects falling, or in danger of falling, from buildings.
144 A failure survey of free-standing walls
One of the authors of a paper published over 20 years ago says that it illustrates that the lessons learned from past collapses of free standing walls have not been learned.
164 Tying walls to floors in domestic properties
A reporter provides structural ‘back-up’ to architects who design houses, and he has not experienced any architect being more specific than noting on a drawing ‘ties at 1200 c/c’, normally related to connecting floors to walls.
176 Lifting large double glazing unit
Inadequate instructions were provided by a double glazing pane supplier on how to lift and move their product, supplied on a flatbed truck, off the truck and onto the works.
201 Large Panel System (LPS) building structural refurbishment issues
A reporter from a firm of consulting engineers comments on his experiences when refurbishing 1960s Large Panel Structure (LPS) buildings around 2000.
243 Council responsible for death of child in wall collapse (news)
A UK council was ordered to pay a substantial sum after a wall it owned collapsed and killed a child during a storm.
271 Piling platform failure
While back screwing an auger, the ground began to fail under the foot of the rig causing it to sink forwards and collapse.
295 Masonry fall due to high wind
Masonry being laid at high level (4th floor) in high wind. During construction, block wall circa 5 blocks high collapsed and blocks fell outside scaffolding onto adjoining property (Parking for Offices). The blocks were retrieved by a worker from the construction site and the wall was re-constructed.
298 Props to large excavations
A correspondent is concerned about the design of propping to large excavations and particularly about the design of the connections for a raking prop to a horizontal waler.
298 Props to large excavations
A correspondent is concerned about the design of propping to large excavations and particularly about the design of the connections for a raking prop to a horizontal waler.
302 Example of small temporary stage structure
This is an example of a small stage that is potentially unstable.
310 Missing rebar
313 Demolition of Multi-Storey Car Park (MSCP) reveals poor concrete
During the demolition of a MSCP, the quality of the concrete in critical load bearing members was found to be extremely poor.
316 Tower crane collapse through foundation failure
Two construction firms were sentenced in 2012 after a crane collapsed onto a city centre apartment block resulting in the crane driver being paralysed from the waist. The 80-metre-high tower crane was being used as part of a multi-million pound project to build a new eight-storey hotel and seven apartment blocks when it overturned. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) prosecuted the site's principal contractor and the structural engineering company following an investigation into the incident. Eight counterweights on the crane, weighing a total of 56 tonnes, broke free and crashed through the roof and six floors of a adjacent building.
349 Error in proprietary design program
It has been noted, says a reporter, that a current package for pad foundation design has no factor of safety against overturning, returning a "pass" for unfactored loads and a utilisation ratio of 1.
352 Car park barrier failure
A reporter discusses the load capacity of barriers in car parks following the failure of a barrier which caused a fatality.
354 Timber roof truss bracing problem
Lateral movement of the roof tiles on a 2-storey mid-terrace house built approximately 35 years ago with a trussed rafter roof led to the discovery of broken bracing.
362 Cracks in basement walls
A reporter was observing concrete walls in a tunnel when they noticed that nearly all of the concrete panels had regular cracks which generally seemed to be wet.
367 Enhancing durability - forensic investigation of deteriorating structures
Forensic Engineering investigation of premature deterioration and, in extremes cases collapse, of concrete structures shows that the Eurocode theories for ‘probability’ of failure and ‘design life’ do not relate to reality for concrete.
372 Understanding the difference between analysis and design
A reporter is becoming increasingly concerned about design practice and correct understanding of the difference between analysis and design and the linking of the two.
374 Rebar cage temporary stability
The reporter says that on two occasions in, on different sites, 6m high rebar cages collapsed under wind loads.
375 Corrosion of plasterboard wall fixings
A reporter sent pictures from a site where metal plasterboard fixings had deteriorated only a few months after installation. The heads of the fixings were removed to reveal the extent of the corrosion.
380 Composition of new blocks
A UK firm has come across a new large precast concrete block range which seems to use a wide range of secondary recycled aggregates in its mix, including some potentially hazardous waste. They are manufactured by a European precast concrete manufacturing company and contain, amongst other material, Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) glass without proper crushing and treatment to remove lead and other contaminants.
383 Lightweight steel roof partial collapse
A hall constructed from thin cold rolled steel sections riveted together started collapsing when tiles were loaded on one side only.
389 Building control and budget limitations
A reporter is concerned that many local authorities do not seem to have the knowledge or impetus to address some technical issues even if the legislation is there for them as a course of action.
390 Fabrication issues with imported steelwork truss in Australia
The truss structure shown, says the reporter, illustrated significant defects and deflected after erection requiring rectification.
399 Tower crane - failure of loadbearing part
A tower crane suffered a failure of one of its four main legs approximately 12m below the slew ring. The fault was discovered, says the reporter, as a result of the tower crane operator reporting some unusual banging and vibrations
403 Application of wind load code BS EN 1991 - wind actions
A reporter's concern is about the application of the wind load code EN 1991 BS EN 1991-1-4: 2005 Eurocode 1: Actions on structures - Part 1-4
405 Design of gusset plate connections - BCSA advice
Following the failure, in 2012, of a relatively long gusset plate connection, the SCI undertook a review on the behaviour of gusset plates subject to compression. The interim results from this investigation show that for bolted gusset plates connected on one edge only subject to compression the modelling assumptions are particularly crucial.
406 High strength concrete incident
This relates to a project where the concrete in the walls was C40, and in the in-line columns was C60. The walls were in the same width as the columns so difficult to distinguish which was which from the top of the shutter.
407 Unsafe timber scaffolding
A rickety temporary scaffold had been constructed from 4”x2” (100mm x 50mm) timber and scaffold boards apparently nailed together, says a reporter.
413 Site hoarding
The reporter is aware of a site which was partially developed before the economic downturn, but has been unattended since.
414 Blockwork lateral restraint
Blockwork walls were being constructed to form basement plant rooms. The wind posts were not built into the wall as normal, but were on the face, and ties were built in to the wall and welded to the posts.
416 Structural bolts and CE marking - advice wanted
Can you please help in connection with the required documents for purchasing and using Structural Bolts?
420 Contractor varies structural design intention
This report concerns two steel beams to support first floor masonry in a two storey house. The wall was of solid construction and supported the first floor and roof structure.
422 Fixings related to 395 partial roof collapse at shopping centre
It is not reported which type of bolt was used in report 395, and this can have a significant effect of the behaviour of the fixing. The detail is such that prying tension will occur in the fixing. It could be significant depending on the factors described in the Comments. Any type of fixing that cannot take significant tension reliably could contribute to this failure.
423 Temporary works design for basements
A reporter had an inquiry from a Contractor who, after appointment, discovered that there was a serious lack of temporary works design information (surveys/loads/wall thicknesses, sequencing, in principle method statement regarding the party walls).
426 Swimming pool ceiling partial collapse
Part of a ceiling above a swimming pool collapsed, injuring 4 people. The ceiling was a double skin plasterboard false ceiling, supported off hangars which were screwed into timber joists above. The ceiling had been installed approximately 12 years previously, and showed no signs of distress before collapse.
429 Failure of epoxy resin bonded anchors in concrete
A reporter expresses concern about adhesive bonded anchors made by injecting epoxy resin into drilled holes to fix threaded bars at a pre-determined design depth. During a lifting operation for a section of the guide-wall, the anchors failed progressively when the crane lifted the section 500mm off the ground. The anchors detached from the resin and came out of the holes.
430 Failure of anchor bolts holding suspended scaffold
During the removal of a suspended scaffold it was found that a number of the screw bolt anchors had failed.
431 Plastic spacers in slabs
A reporter has spotted plastic 'rails' about 1.5 m long being used to support the bottom rebar mat of a slab. They are 'U' shaped with the open side being placed against the soffit.
433 Failure of pre-cast concrete 'L' shaped retaining wall
A recent incident occurred on a site, where a temporary pre-cast retaining wall failed leading to a pile of clay approximately 3m high spilling through the wall.
434 Freeze/thaw effects on RHSs and unexpected hydrogen generation
A view of the freezing effects on RHSs and how this could be related to Liquid Metal Assisted Cracking. Also the reporter is aware of two instances where corrosion of sealed RHS has resulted in the section being pressurised by evolved hydrogen.
435 Balcony strengths of blocks of flats - further experiences
A reporter's firm have been undertaking structural assessments of cantilevered reinforced concrete walkways, which in the majority of cases have been found to be under strength.
437 Mobile message board in strong wind
A mobile variable message sign was set up on a hard standing away from the hard shoulder on a motorway and when the wind caught the sign it acted as a sail and moved across the lanes.
438 Snow sliding off industrial building roofs
Due to a snow slide a lean-to roof at lower level than the main roof of a large industrial building collapsed and ground level equipment was damaged.
441 Computer analysis and slab design twisting moments
A reporter has noticed on many occasions when checking Reinforced Concrete and Post-tensioned slab designs that engineers often neglect to consider twisting moments when arriving at slab design moments.
442 Apollo Theatre London ceiling collapse (news)
In January 2014 Westminster City Council circulated some interim guidance regarding the management of suspended ceilings. The investigation of the partial collapse of the suspended ceiling at the Apollo Theatre in Shaftesbury Avenue London is still in progress and the Council now have a better understanding of the failure mode of the ceiling. A key element of the interim advice is for theatres to understand the form of construction of their individual ceilings and how the constituent parts are joined together and ultimately supported from the main structure. Some of the relevant information about the Apollo Theatre ceiling is given in this report.
443 Post-fixed RC anchors - erroneous assumptions leading to unsafe design
Consultants on a recently finished project have reported that a number of steel to RC moment resisting connections were required. During construction the reporter became concerned and realised that several of the proposed fixings did not have the minimum concrete edge distance required and when these fixings were disregarded the software calculated that the design had only a small fraction of the required capacity.
445 Cost of design standard for scaffolding
The reporter is concerned that designers will not use the design standard for access scaffolding due to its high price.
447 Fatal wall collapse at school due to 'wall climbing'
This report has been provided by HSE and once again highlights the potential dangers of freestanding masonry walls.
448 Stability of terraced buildings
A reporter is concerned about a terrace of four buildings the third of which is being opened up. Two of the others have no cross walls on the ground floor and he notes that the spine wall in the last building has also been removed.
450 Two tier stacked site cabin blown over
A two tier stacked site cabin was blown over in the wind with someone inside – thankfully they were not injured.
458 Alteration to historic column bases
On this small project, says a reporter, a Structural Engineer was commissioned by a contractor to recommend required works for the improvement of first floor living quarters over a shop. The fragile building was over 100 years old with the first floor projected over a pavement and supported by timber columns which were on sandstone stub columns projecting above pavement line.
461 Metal cladding panels blowing in the wind
A local authority was called to investigate a dangerous structure where metal cladding panels on the 10th floor of a student accommodation block were flapping in high winds.
462 Non-structural roof soffit linings - failure
The reporter has observed the occurrence of compressed fibre cement sheets becoming dislodged from the soffit of several buildings in Australia.
465 Secondary steel items on roofs in high winds
The reporter's firm routinely ensures that secondary roof items are tested by the manufacturer for the wind loads and rated accordingly.
467 Large stone panel falls from building facade
A large stone panel detached from a second floor beam and fell to the ground, narrowly missing a group of school children.
469 Failure of load test setup
A composite steel girder was designed to support the platform for a Metro Rail station and it was decided to do a working load test on it at the fabrication yard before erection.
474 Imported steel
Defective steel, says a reporter, was found in a major retail store where the material had been imported from a supplier in the Far East. This only came to light after the problem was noticed on site and subsequent testing revealed major flaws in the manufacturing process
475 Backfilled cantilever brick wall
A 230mm cantilevered brick wall approx 1.6m high was built approximately 300 to 400 mm in front of a rock face. The space between the wall and rock face was backfilled (which was not the design intent) and it pushed the wall over.
476 Cantilevered brickwork - fatal collapse during construction
A blade of 270mm cavity brickwork in a temporary condition fell and killed a bricklayer after sixteen scaffold planks were leant against the wall on the side remote from the bricklayer.
478 Man killed by falling masonry (news)
A 61-year-old man has died after being hit by falling masonry outside an amusement arcade.
479 Dangerous alterations
The structure of an existing building is being replaced, but the facade retained. The construction method was to create a new frame within the existing, with columns punching through the existing slab. An existing beam had been left simply supported, with no continuity over the columns.
481 Gallows brackets for supporting chimney breasts
A reporter has seen suggestions that gallows brackets are suitable for support after the removal of internal chimney breasts.
482 Unbraced temporary props
An alarming photograph has been sent by a contributor.
484 Load testing a pile in 1985
A 12m long 600mm diameter pile was being load-tested for confirmation of design pile loads for the foundations of a road bridge. At around 1.5 x working load=105t, the beam web buckled.
485 Freeze and thaw of another RHS
Further to reports about the freezing of water in hollow sections a correspondent has sent photos of a section of mild steel RHS that was removed from a bridge travelling maintenance gantry in 1995, that shows the bulging that can occur when RHS is not drained and ice forms.
488 Fire risk in timber framed structures
The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) has written an ‘open letter’ to the timber-frame frame industry about fire risk during construction. The HSE said “it has acted in the wake of serious incidents where fires involving timber frame structures under construction have affected neighbouring buildings”. Last month, fire ripped through a partially-built laboratory at the University of Nottingham, where the frame was constructed mainly from glue laminated (glulam) beams.
490 Bolt failures due to hydrogen embrittlement
A reporter recalls that in the 1970s he was working on bridge refurbishment project where a number of new, zinc electro-plated, bolts failed suddenly, often shortly after installation.
491 Another child killed by falling fireplace (news)
A three-year-old girl was killed after a fire place collapsed.
495 Open balustrade balconies over a public highway
A reporter has watched the construction of a large residential development adjacent to a public highway where the balconies oversail the footpath. He is concerned that nobody has fully considered the risk to the public of small - but heavy – objects falling from these balconies onto pedestrians below.
498 Cladding panel blown off
This reporter has become aware of an incident where a decorative cladding panel fell from an upper level of a multi-storey building in high winds.
499 Failure of high strength studs
A reporter’s firm specified the use of M12 grade 8.8 threaded studs that were to be located in a tapped web of a parallel flange channel. The installation proceeded normally and the nuts were not over tightened. The firm then received reports that many of the studs were snapping overnight with the outer nuts falling onto the floor.
500 Partly demolished site
Existing buildings on a city centre site were partly demolished to make way for a new development but the work was delayed and ownership changed.
503 Rotting of rafters likely due to spray foam insulation
Rafters had rotted in areas to 40-50% of their original depth due to spray foam insulation having been installed some years previously, says a reporter.
505 Precast Concrete Cover Slab to Circular Shaft
The cover slab for a storage shaft was designed as an interlocking arrangement of seven precast concrete slabs with half joints between the individual units. When the slabs arrived on site they were lifted into place but approximately 10 minutes after the last slab had been placed, five of them collapsed into the shaft.
506 Wind problem in city centre
A reporter is dealing with temporary works for sub-contractors working in and around the centre of a major city. He has experienced a spate of wind related incidents where structures which have been designed in accordance with normal practice using current codes have suffered damage and he feels that there is an issue which needs to be investigated and discussed so that Engineers dealing with structures in the vicinity of tall buildings and groups of tall buildings are fully informed.
507 Independence of Approved Inspectors
Owners, who provided this report, contracted a house extension company who claimed to handle all aspects of the house extension. Their contractual obligations included obtaining building control approval for plan/design and bringing the project to completion. A series of defects then started surfacing after the completion of the project.
510 Policing of CE marking on steelwork
A reporter has a question regarding structural steel safety, particularly on steel gantry systems supporting lifting equipment. He knows from EN1090-1 and 2, that structural steel work should be CE marked and wants to know who "polices" these new regulations.
511 Collapse of infill wall panel
511 Collapse of infill wall panel
A blockwork infill wall panel approximately 4m wide and 9m high between two buildings, A and B, collapsed in high winds.
512 Biomass fuel stores
A reporter states that designers should be aware that biomass storage structures need to be designed for appropriate lateral loads, noting also that wood pellets give a significantly higher loading than wood chips.
513 Fabrication different from design drawings
The reporter noticed that a propping design had been fabricated and installed but a number of connection details did not match the design drawings.
515 Roof constructed without structural input
A reporter wants to highlight the problem of builders working off plans provided by an architect or surveyor and assuming that section sizes shown on drawings actually work.
516 Digital advertising billboard falls from side of building (news)
A pedestrian was injured when a digital billboard weighing four tonnes came crashing down on top of her just days after it was installed.
517 Flaws with partial encasements around steel columns
A structural assessment found that steel columns encased in concrete to mid-storey height were heavily corroded directly above the top of the encasements.
518 Fibrous plaster ceiling features
This recent report of a serious concern about an old fibrous plaster ceiling has similarities to the Apollo Theatre ceiling collapse in London in December 2013.It is thought that complete collapse was averted by the arched shape of the trough section and that if the ceiling was flat, prior collapse would have occurred.
519 PV panels blown off roof
This report is about PV Panels being blown off of a flat roof; luckily nobody got hurt. The fixing method is simple, however it relies on being perfectly installed 100% of the time.
520 Fatal collapse of balcony in Berkeley (news)
US prosecutors have launched an investigation into the balcony collapse in Berkeley, California, that killed six students.
521 Too Many Albums Cause Floor Collapse (news)
Too many vinyl records stored on the second floor of a San Diego building caused a collapse that damaged a popular store.
522 Failure of Stainless Steel Tie Bars
In 2002 the footways of an important estuary bridge were widened says a report from the owner. The works replaced the cantilevered footways of the structure with footways supported on steel girders which in turn were supported on steel columns. The strengthened footways and the original structure are connected through a keyed concrete joint and pairs of 32mm diameter stainless steel tie bars.
522 Failure of stainless steel tie bars
A principal inspection of a bridge found that numerous ties connecting the original bridge to strengthened footways had failed.
523 Shear failure during demolition
A number of buildings being demolished ‘top-down’ have suffered from partial collapse during demolition, says a reporter.
524 Spalling concrete falling from motorway bridge
An incident occurred at a motorway overbridge resulting in a piece of spalling concrete falling onto the carriageway and striking a vehicle. This resulted in minor injuries to the driver. It is understood that the concrete which fell was no greater than 50 - 60mm in size and had spalled from an area of previously repaired concrete.
527 Wrongly designed safety system
A reporter is a checking engineer for the client on a tall building. If tenants of the building wish to make structural alterations, they are obliged to send the reporter the details of the proposed changes and he reviews the effect on the main structure. One tenant introduced a stair between two floors. This meant that there was a double-height section of facade to keep clean adjacent to the stair, and so a "mansafe" system was proposed.
528 PV panels on domestic roof
The building is traditional, domestic in scale and execution with a duo-pitched roof of concrete tiles on battens on membrane on factory trusses. The roof supports a large area of PV panels whose attachments are supported on every third truss. The reporter asked the D&B roof contractor if this was sufficient to support wind and snow loads.
529 Risks from off-site manufacture and hybrid construction
A reporter was recently investigating a ‘near miss’ involving concrete construction in which pre-cast and in-situ concrete were used in combination. This type of construction offers efficiencies and, as in this instance, can reduce the number of man-hours worked at height. It is growing in popularity. It does however bring its own risks, and these need to be understood. The works under investigation comprised a circular shaft 20m in diameter and 20m deep, which required an L-shaped shelf or balcony some 5m from the top.
530 Incentivising Safe Behaviour Through Standard Agendas
A reporter was investigating a ‘near miss’ involving concrete construction in which pre-cast and in-situ concrete were used in combination. This type of construction offers efficiencies and, as in this instance, can reduce the number of man-hours worked at height. It does however bring its own risks, and these need to be understood.
532 Stored glazing panels
A reporter has been undertaking facade inspections for insurers across many buildings in the UK and the same issue keeps appearing on every site; glazing is not individually tied back to storage frames or to a secure place when being stored.
533 Installation of PV panels
A reporter's firm used to carry out design work for installers of PV panels, many on domestic roofs. Unfortunately, because the market was buoyant, many 'engineers' entered the market and drove the prices for assessments down by undertaking far less rigorous analysis, and suggesting that far fewer fixings were adequate.
535 Glass blown out by wind in city centre
A U shaped glass panel was blown out of a fourth floor stair enclosure to the ground.
536 Metal shed blown off roof
During some very gusty winds, a metal shed which had been placed on a ninth floor terrace, was blown down to the street below.
537 Metal panel blown off roof
During some exceptionally gusty winds, a metal roof panel was blown off an office building roof onto a railway station roof below.
538 Failure to check designs produced by software
A reporter works as a Building Control Officer and recently checked some block work wall calculations for a new office building that had been undertaken using proprietary design software. He noticed a regular error appearing that returned a value of zero for the effective plan area when performing the check for the minimum area required.
539 House collapses during basement conversion (news)
A £3.5 million Georgian townhouse in southwest London collapsed “like a tower of cards” yesterday as builders carried out an extensive basement conversion to fit a cinema and gym.
540 Lack of lateral stability in steel frame
This concerns three similar buildings. The roof of Building No 1 was a concrete-composite deck supported on lattice trusses and it collapsed whilst carrying a moderate imposed load. The report relates to the findings on one of the other similar buildings designated Building No 2.
548 Local wind effects
Further to the SCOSS Alert Wind Adjacent to Tall Buildings published in December 2015 a reporter says that he had been involved in work on the outside face of a city centre building, but at a high level rather than at street level.
549 Fall of material from bridge soffit
Reports about materials falling from bridges have been sent by a bridge owner and some are given below.
550 Partial collapse of culvert
A train driver reported a rough ride and a track visit established that there had been a possible culvert collapse.
551 Masonry bridge parapet hit
This is an example of a bridge strike over a railway.
552 Railway Tunnel ice strike
A train struck a block of ice, thought at first to have fallen from a tunnel.
554 Collapse of old drainage chamber
A hole appeared under a railway track.
557 Deflection under load of bridge girder
A report was received from a bridge examiner to say outer main girder of a short span railway bridge was moving up to 30mm under load.
559 Concrete encasement fall from bridge girder - No.1
Overnight, sections of concrete from the bottom flange of a single encased girder became detached and fell onto an operational line which is adjacent to two platforms.
562 Falling lath and plaster ceiling
A 100 year old lath and plaster ceiling in a shop unit collapsed in part, injuring the shop keeper.
564 Defects found in previously repaired bridge
When carrying out strengthening work on a bridge, there was concern that by removing the non-structural encasement, alternative load paths had been removed.
565 Pre-slung rebar loads
A contractor issued a safety alert about pre-slung loads of rebar which has resulted in loads being 'out of balance' when unloaded and bundles not being correctly chocked allowing bars to slip out of the load.
566 Sudden hole in piling mat - No.1
The reporter says that whilst digging a trench a 450mm diameter hole appeared in the pile mat about 0.5m from the guide wall. As the grab was being lowered into the 55m deep trench, bentonite from the wall panel gushed out from the hole.
567 Fall of old rail section from restaurant ceiling
A report was received from a tenant business manager of a fall of metal from the soffit onto a table in a restaurant/bar.
568 Sea wall collapse at Mostyn (news)
A train driver reported waves coming over the sea wall at Mostyn. Maintenance staff on site then closed both lines as the sea wall had collapsed in two places.
569 Siddick sea wall collapse (news)
A section of sea wall in Siddick collapsed due to tidal surge.
570 Wrought iron girder from 1879
An incident occured during major strengthening and refurbishment of a 3 span wrought iron structure dating from 1879.
571 Injuries from falling scaffold tube
Two children received injuries when a scaffold tube fell from height.
572 Embankment slip
Vertical movement was observed on the safety critical surface at the top of an 8m high embankment. This occurred over a distance of some 25m directly above a length of rockfill shear key being installed at the embankment toe. Had there been a failure of the embankment the consequences could have been severe.
574 Responsibilities for hybrid concrete construction
There was a report about a problem during the construction of a hybrid concrete over-bridge. A substantial pre-cast element, weighing over 10t, had been placed in position and used as part of the shuttering for an insitu pour. During the pour the element was pushed out of alignment by the pressure of wet concrete and there was a substantial spillage onto an operating area below.
575 Scaffold overturn
A 5m high scaffold screened with fabric overturned when airflow was introduced to a building.
576 Worker trapped in excavation
An operative received serious injuries when the excavation they were in collapsed.
577 Bridge wing wall collapse
The masonry wing wall of a bridge fell as a single section and came to rest against an adjacent pile. Although the roles and responsibilities placed on individuals on site was clear, there was a lack of direction on who held ultimate responsibility for identifying the need for temporary works.
579 Further report on freezing of water in hollow sections
A reporter has a further warning on the issue of freeze/thaw cracking following report 434 in CROSS Newsletter No 36. His firm encountered a similar problem on a UK project and investigated the matter.
580 Alteration of calculations on a loft conversation that was already built
A reporter says he was pressurised to change retrospectively calculations and drawings following completion of works at a domestic property.
581 Requirement for CDM Safety Files to be transferred
The whole point of the Safety Files prescribed under the CDM Regulations, says a reporter, is that they shall be of assistance in the future, to owners and operators of buildings and other structures. They are not simply a chore to be signed off at the end of a complicated job.
584 Balustrade testing
Designs are made by a reporter's firm for balustrade systems for a number of fabricators and in the course of this work the firm are sometimes asked to comment on proposed proprietary systems. These are often justified by testing and appear to give clients reassurance about the suitability of the product. However, the information provided often leaves a lot to be desired.
585 Failure of supposedly grade 10.9 bolts
There was a high potential for collapse when supposedly Grade 10.9 high strength holding bolts failed on a crane base. Sixteen bolts, which had been pre-tensioned in the standard way, all failed within four days.
587 Plasterwork ceiling partial collapse at railway station
One morning, a railway employee opened the station as normal and saw a section of the cornice, plasterboard roof and lighting on the floor.
589 PV panels and structural adequacy of roofs
In total over a period of a few years a reporter's firm of consulting engineers assessed approximately 25,000 domestic roofs on the basis of existing roof information provided by the installer and of those between 15 and 20% were structurally inadequate.
590 Wind damage to roof with PV panels
A reporter has a house which was built in 2011 and had solar panels installed on the roof flush with the tiling. Later the same year she had external PV panels fitted. During the heavy storm a big area of roof tiles blew down.
596 Sudden hole in piling mat - No.2
This is further information about Report 566 Sudden Hole in Piling Mat which was published in the April 2016 Newsletter. The report at that stage was not conclusive about the cause of the hole and does not reflect the conclusions of later investigation. The report has therefore been updated.
597 Inadequate structural design at a school
On review of a design for a school extension, a reporter noted several major issues including an almost total lack of vertical bracing throughout the extension.
599 Heritage balustrade
A reporter is hoping that Structural-Safety might be able to help with some research for a heritage project. The issue is how to treat an ornate cast-iron balustrade guarding a stone interlock stair, which is an important historic feature of the building.
600 Failure of tower crane studs
There is a crane related issue about the failure of non-standard Grade 10.9 studs used to connect a tower crane mast to a steel grillage.
601 Fixing systems for gravestones
This report is about the safety of pins used to hold headstones in place.
602 Padstones out of position leads to collapse
This report concerns the partial collapse of a terrace of four storey houses during construction. The roof was timber and steelwork. The superstructure precast concrete floors were supported on front and rear façade walls and internal steel beams.
603 Changes in temporary works scheme
A multi-storey above-ground structure was designed so that the superstructure rested on a basement liner wall, which in turn was dowelled into the secant piled retaining wall. The temporary works designer placed raking props and whaling beams against the secant wall in the temporary case, which prevented completion of the liner wall.
604 Wind damage due to unplanned cladding
605 Lighting pole hitting live overhead cable
An excavator operator began to lift a column, guided by a foreman/banksman, so that the base could be slid into its sleeve. As the column was moved towards the vertical position, it came into contact with an 11kV overhead cables located directly above the sleeve. This resulted in the ground worker, who was holding the base of the lighting column, receiving an electric shock and contact/exit burns.
607 Settlement of driven piles
A railway platform was constructed on piled foundations and it was noticed that one pair of piles and their associated cross head settled soon afterwards.
608 Wall collapse during house demolition
Poor demolition practice resulted in a wall falling onto a neighbouring property.
609 Collapsed section of dwelling
A reporter says that a traditional cottage built of cob construction collapsed without warning in 2016.
610 High mast light poles at all UK sites
Five High Mast Light Poles (HMLPs) were removed from a public site as it was considered that there was a possibility of collapse. One was a particularly obvious risk because about half of the nuts on its anchor bolts were not fully engaged.
612 Number of near misses and the regulatory regime
A reporter is concerned about the number of investigations on which he is working, or of which he is aware, but most cannot be reported to CROSS because of legal or insurance constraints. He sees an increasing number of actual failures, including collapses, and an increasing number of near misses.
613 Collapse of reinforced concrete balcony (news)
Concrete balcony on the third floor of a building collapsed onto floors below.
614 Columns missing due to 3D modelling
A new 8-storey residential concrete frame building was being constructed and several columns were omitted from the ground and first floor level drawings, says a reporter.
615 Inadequate bolted connections supporting stairs
When precast concrete stairs are installed, the landings are normally supported using either proprietary telescopic connectors (AKA ‘invisible connections’), or by means of an RSA bolted to the wall. When an RSA is used, the wall is drilled to fix the bolts, whether they be expanding fixings or chemical fixings, and frequently the drilling may hit reinforcement.
616 Balcony collapse in France (news)
Four people have been killed after a balcony collapsed during a student housewarming party in western France.
617 Structures at risk from scour and erosion
Following some recent structural failures, a reporter is concerned that asset owners may not fully realise risks associated with scour and erosion.
619 Unrestrained stone cladding
A leisure complex completed in the early 2000s has a steel frame with infill panels of block covered with thin stone cladding and a person was injured when a large piece of cladding fell. Local investigation revealed that there were insufficient vertical or horizontal dowels to restrain the cladding.
620 Steel balconies fixed to precast hollowcore floor planks
A reporter is concerned about the suitability of providing a retro-fitted steel balcony requiring moment connections to the sides of typical hollowcore floor planks.
624 Wind loads acting on timber frame walls for designs to BS 5268-6
A reporter says that the masonry shielding factors in BS 5268-6 (K100 and K200) were substantially reduced when PD 6693-1 for designs to EC5 was produced, apparently because the original BS method was not adequately vetted.
625 PV Panels and birds' nests
A reporter states that birds are making nests under the PV panels.
626 Partial failure of PC tank unit on installation
The use of precast concrete units to construct water retaining structures is becoming more common but their safe installation is not as straightforward as may be suggested.
627 Cantilever signal base failure - holding down bolts in bending
A railway asset owner noticed that a 9m cantilever signal structure was sagging alarmingly and stopped trains on the line.
630 Multi-storey car park foundations
There are concerns about the integrity of a completed car park structure according to a reporter.
632 Risky new buildings?
A reporter is becoming increasingly concerned about some of the 'exciting' structures and buildings that are being produced, with particular concern about the use of cantilevers in buildings!
634 Contractor installs incorrect steel grade
A reporter came across an issue where the fabricator had used cold formed S235 commodity steel SHS rather than the specified hot formed S275 structural steel SHS.
635 Incomplete casting of composite brick/concrete parapets
A reporter states that during a parapet raising scheme over a mainline railway, a void up to 300mm deep was identified below existing coping bed level.
636 Storm Barbara - loose and insecure parapet copings
A section of a roof parapet coping on a new school along a street elevation had been blown onto the roof of the school, having come loose from its fixing.
637 Failure of cast-in lifting anchor on precast twin-wall
A precast reinforced concrete twin-wall panel was lifted approximately 500mm from the tilting frame when one of the designed cast-in lifting anchors suffered a brittle failure.
638 Failure of cast-in lifting eye on L-shaped wall
During a routine lifting operation of a L-shaped wall unit, one of the legs on a cast-in lifting eye which was located on top of the unit pulled out of the concrete.
639 Near miss - spalled concrete falling from rear face of drilled hole 26 floors up
Holes were being drilled for resin-anchor fixings, where the back face of the wall being drilled was located above a 26 storey lift shaft. During drilling, it appears that the operator over-drilled the hole (drilling deeper than the 150mm hole depth specified) and this caused spalling on the back face of the concrete, causing a lump of concrete to fall down the shaft.
641 Square Hollow Section (SHS) expansion due to freezing
A reporter has come across problems in British Columbia (temp range -30oC to +40oC)of cracking due to the ingress of water and freezing. One was a painted 2" (50mm) SHS on a sloped Pedestrian Railing, and the other is an Epoxy Paint coated 1" (25mm) SHS on a Stair Handrail also on a slope. In neither case were drain holes provided yet both hollow sections split as a result of frost action.
642 Toppling of precast concrete unit during lifting causes serious injury
During a routine lifting exercise of a precast concrete unit, the unit tipped over while a worker was un-slinging the top sling points for the unit using a ladder, causing them a serious injury.
644 Inadequate end bearings for transfer beams
Whilst advising a steel fabricator on tendering for a transfer structure steel frame, a reporter's firm noticed a serious design error.
645 Response to report 614 on missing columns from drawings
A reporter shares their views on how to implement robust checking systems for BIM models.
646 Unconnected connection
A reporter came across a completely inadequate steel connection. While the endplate had been welded to the supported beam, and the flange plate has been welded to the endplate, the flange plate has only been tacked to the supporting beam.
648 Thin stone cladding problems
A reporter was involved with two investigations which uncovered problems with thin stone cladding.
651 Failure of fabricated access staging board
A member of a team working on a major bridge reported a close call after the supporting mesh flooring on a new access staging system gave way under his foot.
652 Designer competency and missing rebar
A reporter says that on a major highway project it was noticed that the contractor was casting a pad foundation. However, there was no reinforcement in the base. The contractor stated that this was an innovative design which allowed for fast-track construction.
653 Collapse of outfall structure to watercourse
An outfall conveying surface water drainage to a watercourse collapsed due to its not having been properly constructed.
654 Heavy loading on masonry support prop adaptor
654 Heavy loading on masonry support prop adaptor
662 Tower crane foundation design error
The author was asked by a Principal Contractor to undertake an independent design check for two tower crane foundations for a project.
663 Inability of roller shutter doors to meet the pressure specification for dominant openings
A reporter is working on buildings located in a mountainous region of Scotland. Two buildings had sets of roller shutter doors specified for 3.5kN/m² up to 10m span, which failed within weeks of installation at winds far below the pressures that would be normal for buildings set in England and Wales.
664 Steel canopy collapse during building completion works
During the construction of a new school, a long span steel truss failed, resulting in the collapse of a canopy.
665 Lack of masonry wall ties
A reporter states that they have come across the presence of serious defects in masonry construction in the past and have no doubt that many other engineers have had similar experiences.
667 Use of proprietary elements beyond stated values
After the construction of a 6m high lighting frame, the contractor noticed that the frame was both twisting and deflecting excessively under wind loading.
669 Light Gauge Steel Framing and responsibilities on site
As an increasingly popular method of supporting building envelopes, Light Gauge Steel Framing (LGSF) was utilised on the residential project in question.
672 Unacceptable quality of construction and lack of supervision on a block of flats
The project involves new buildings for residential flats over a single storey basement. He attended site a number of times in the early stages of construction and found issues including: - poor document control, - using superseded drawings on site, - incorrect/failure to install temporary works required to prop the perimeter piled wall, - omission of designed steel reinforcement, and undermining of adjacent structures.
675 Collapse of unsupported trench
A worker was trapped within a partially collapsed excavation which was unsupported and not suitably benched.
677 Roof tiles falling from height
A skip turned upside down at high level and the contents crashed down onto the pavement.
678 Architect conducts structural design of sway frame for domestic project
A reporter looked at a project recently where the drawings had been produced by the architect, including a structural design.
680 Late detection of flange/web splitting on steel beam
A reporter noticed a crack at the interface between the flange and web for a chord member in a steel truss.
682 Polyethylene core cladding panels used on residential high rise building
A reporter is writing as a precautionary measure following the Grenfell Tower Fire to say that a similar type of rainscreen panel, ie a polyethylene core with metal skin, was used at a residential tower block which they visited in 2011. It is believed that this block is privately owned so would not necessarily be picked up in a review of buildings owned by local authorities and housing associations.
683 Corrosion causes collapse of steel floodlight mast at football club
This is an Alert that was issued by a Local Authority responsible for enforcing the Safety of Sports Grounds Act after a floodlighting mast collapsed at a football club's ground.
684 Remoteness of contacts and lack of supervision
A correspondent has been thinking about the problem of lack of supervision in construction generally and has come to the conclusion that this is all part of a wider problem, namely the general remoteness of many things.
686 Quality of management
A reporter has been working in the construction industry as a joiner for over 20 years and has recently started to question the quality of site managers.
689 Fire safety risks during technical due diligence survey
A reporter observed serious fire safety risks while carrying out a technical due diligence survey as part of a building acquisition.
690 Concern about foundations to telecomms masts
Whilst recognising the attractiveness and value that is offered to the industry a reporter writes about a potential safety problem with the design and construction of "root" foundations for telecomms poles.
692 Collapse of lifting tackle connected by threaded bar
No one was struck or injured when a set of 3T chain blocks and a 1m length of 20mm diameter threaded bar fell from a height of 5m, according to a reporter.
693 Stability of existing structures impacting construction sites
A reporter discusses the Client’s and Principal Contractor’s duties regarding the stability of existing structures on site, particularly those scheduled for demolition.
694 Dangerous balcony construction
During an investigation of a balcony construction, a reporter discovered serious inadequacies related to total lack of co-ordination between sub-contract work packages coupled with lack of appropriate supervision.
697 Serious safety failings during construction of high level lattice girder walkways
A reporter discusses extremely serious safety failings with the construction of two new high level lattice girder walkways in the fly tower of a theatre.
699 Dangerous modification during construction of 5 storey block of flats
A reporter was asked to investigate a 5 storey timber framed block of flats after the leaseholder of the top floor reported gaps appearing between oak floor boards. The reporter found that a flank wall was missing at ground floor level.
700 Incorrect scaffold installation
During the pre-sheeting inspection of a designed scaffold, the temporary works coordinator observed that tension connections on standards were either omitted or had incorrect pins/bolts used.
701 Designed scaffold built incorrectly
A TWC found that scaffolding was not built in accordance with the approved design drawings and a number of unauthorised modifications were made.
702 Scaffold lifting beams incorrectly installed
During inspection of scaffolding prior to loading, it was observed that there were lifting beams with end stops and ultimate stop cross bolts incorrectly installed.
703 Inadequate structural design for domestic properties
A reporter has recently been asked to re-design several projects for domestic extensions/alterations, where two structural problems were found.
704 Who takes responsibility for preventing a failure?
After reading the SCOSS Alert on Hazard identification for structural design, a reporter was prompted to write to CROSS about how various parties involved with structural safety sometimes see their responsibilities.
705 Use of untreated billet connections in precast concrete structures
Whilst completing a third-party design appraisal, a correspondent found that solid steel billets intended to form the primary shear transfer mechanism between concrete beams and columns were insufficient for this purpose.
706 General fire safety in residential blocks
A reporter discusses fire safety issues discovered during investigations of building defects in residential blocks.
707 Fire safety in high rise residential blocks - service ducts
A reporter says that the risk of spread of smoke, hot gases and flames due to deficiencies in service ducts is an important subject that needs detailed investigation.
711 Parapet wall collapse
The sudden failure of parapet coping stones on an old 2 storey industrial building caused the stones to fall onto a road and pavement below.
713 The role of District Surveyors
Under the London Building Acts 1930, says a reporter, District Surveyors were appointed to supervise construction and enforce regulations. It seems to the reporter that a similar system is now required.
714 Unsafe removal of some internal walls
A reporter was requested to advise on the removal of some internal walls in a decades’ old multi storey block of council flats constructed from mostly in-situ concrete and brick/block.
723 No responsibility for damaged footbridge
A small footbridge in a public car park has the centre of the web missing for the last metre on one beam, and at least half of flange missing for the middle 3m of the span.
726 Combustible insulation in rainscreen cladding
Whilst walking past a tall residential building being constructed in the UK, a reporter observed the facade build-up to consist of combustible insulation with a rainscreen cladding.
727 Questionable tension bracing arrangement
A reporter is concerned about the arrangement of diagonal tension bracing in one bay of a building.
730 Collapsed scaffolding
Following modest levels of snow fall in the winter, scaffolding erected in order to support a temporary roof collapsed inwards, says a reporter.
734 Glass smoke screens and structural safety
A reporter was asked to investigate the spontaneous failure of glass smoke control screens at a major retail store.
735 Inadequate design of cantilever glass barriers
A reporter has observed a growing number of cases where cantilever glass balustrades in public buildings are, in their view, designed inadequately.
736 Building extension causes snow drifting failure
The reporter feels that structural engineers are failing to realise the implications of creating a valley or an upstand and are failing to check existing structural elements including foundations for the increased load.
740 Common use of S235 cold rolled steel instead of S355 hot rolled steel
It has come to a reporter's attention that some local fabricators are purchasing S235 cold rolled hollow sections rather than the specified S355 hot rolled sections, as they are easier and cheaper to obtain.
741 Dangerous glass infill panels on balustrade
A reporter expressed their concern about the structural stability of cantilever glass infill panels between a steel post and hand rail balustrade system at a high-level apartment block.
742 Add-on roof truss failure
Visiting a property for an unrelated matter, a reporter spotted something odd about the roof; the gable had bulged one end and movement had clearly occurred.
749 Failure of prestressed hollowcore units during lifting
Prestressed hollowcore units can fail during lifting if not carefully designed, planned and managed, says a reporter.
756 Collapse of domestic glass balustrade due to inadequate fixings
A firm was asked to provide professional advice regarding the replacement of a glass balustrade which had collapsed.
757 Lack of method statements on domestic projects
A reporter has observed that where an opening is being formed on domestic properties for, say a rear extension, that the builders tend to remove the masonry and follow up with the temporary propping.
758 Steel fabricators substituting S275/S355 steel for S235 steel
A reporter has been asked many times by fabricators if they can use grade S235 steel in lieu of S275 or S355.
761 Major UK steel manufacturer talks about steel substitution
A correspondent is concerned that cold formed S235 steel is being used in place of hot formed S355 steel, as this can have dangerous implications.
764 Hidden defects in railway masonry arch viaducts
A reporter is concerned about the sell-off of spaces under railway arches, as it may become difficult to carry out inspections and maintenance.
766 Shutter failure during concrete wall pour
Resin fixed ties for a shutter failed during a concrete wall pour.
776 Split responsibility for collapsed boundary wall adjacent to railway
A train driver reported striking debris from a collapsed wall in an urban location.
778 Casting, transporting and installing precast concrete kerbs
The construction consisted of precast concrete robust kerbs to contain the permanent way for railway lines.
781 Quality of design and construction of a major bridge structure
This report concerns the design and installation of the bridge bearing zones on a new precast prestressed reinforced concrete viaduct.
782 Collapse of glass balustrade from feature staircase in public building
A reporter investigated an incident where a glass balustrade panel fell vertically from a 'feature' staircase in a public building.
784 Swapping insulation behind cladding without adjusting details
A reporter is concerned that insulation behind cladding is being swapped without a full appreciation of the implications.
785 Inadequate brick ties in gable end walls
A reporter was called to council houses at four different sites, whose upper triangle of cavity wall brickwork on the gable end had fallen out, due to not being tied into the roof.
786 Incorrect load testing of steel lifting frames
On two occasions, a reporter has experienced issues with load tests on steel lifting frames and wonders how many other load tests may have been carried out incorrectly without being noticed.
788 Concrete grade confusion in software
A reporter noticed that the design calculation report generated by a proprietary software package called for "concrete characteristic strength = 45N/mm2", but did not confirm whether this refers to the cylinder or cube strength.
789 Temporary stability of steel frame building
This event concerns the temporary stability of a 4-storey steel frame structure with precast concrete planks and a structural topping.
790 Inadequate product testing for shear studs
A manufacturer provided testing information for a variant product based on a university student Master’s dissertation.
793 Street sign collapse causes fatality
This report highlights the potential dangers of street signs on fixed vertical supports subject to wind loading.
794 Contractor uses incorrect fixing bolts for masonry support angles
A correspondent noticed that proprietary masonry support angles specified to support the outer leaf of masonry had been incorrectly connected to the steel beam using carriage bolts.
796 Bridge bearing design and installation – more
A reporter says that the issue of successful co-ordination between designers, contractors and specialist bearing suppliers is one they have experienced.
AUS-1 Set-up of temporary works
A correspondent was called onto site after the formwork for a slab collapsed during construction.
798 Industry not reacting to failures
Following the Grenfell Tower fire, the reporter has personally experienced clients and contractors putting money before safety, and consultants giving poor advice on fire related issues.
800 Retaining wall excavation collapse
A 6m deep excavation formed for constructing a retaining wall collapsed due to insufficient propping.
AUS-2 Concern over the quality of steel fabrication for street furniture
A reporter, who is a metal worker, expresses their concern about the quality and maintenance of welded fabricated steel structures.
802 Fixing brackets for glazing systems
A reporter's organisation has been alerted to several cases of broken glass panels in a canopy at a transportation facility.
803 High winds cause parapet failure
Exceptionally strong winds caused a fourth-floor level masonry parapet wall with a 1.7m high timber fencing on top to collapse.
804 Inadequate structural design on some industrial steel structures
On some industrial projects associated with plant, a reporter's firm believes that steel structures are being erected without a design being carried out by a competent structural engineer and are therefore potentially dangerous.
813 Failure of waling beam connected to raking prop
A reporter witnessed a failure on site as a result of the design issues discussed in CROSS report 298 Props to large excavations.
AUS-3 Safety concern about the design of thin concrete walls
The reporter raises their concern about the design of thin concrete load-bearing walls, sometimes supporting 10 or more stories.
AUS-4 Light steel truss issues
A reporter believes that we need to raise awareness of some deficiencies in the light steel truss industry (trusses made from cold-formed steel sections).
AUS-5 Sliding glass door - two-part subhead failure
Called to inspect the failure of a glazed sliding door system a correspondent noted that the system is comprised of a two-part subhead, which includes a removable bead that relies on mere millimetres of bearing.
AUS-6 Lift pit excavation hazards
A reporter came across an unsafe deep excavation and asks how a geotechnical engineer views the risk of excavation collapse.
AUS-7 Managing changes to design
In the correspondent's experience, change is the root of many of the problems discussed in the current debate about standards of construction.
AUS-8 Poor quality of structural design on high-rise buildings
The correspondent has been very concerned about the quality of structural engineering on some projects in recent years, particularly for certain high-rise buildings.
832 Timber frame wall tie design
The reporter believes that there is no clear way to demonstrate the adequacy of timber frame wall ties to current guidance in areas of moderate to high wind loads.
DE-01 Incorrect CE-marking of products
A reporter from Germany raises concerns about wrongly declared and/or insufficient DoPs (Declaration of Performance) for products according to the harmonized European standards with CE-marking.
DE-02 Products installed without CE-marking due to lower cost
Another report from Germany concerns products that have been delivered and installed on a construction site without any CE-marking and Declaration of Performance (DoP) at all.
844 Defects in tapered thread reinforcement bars for coupling
Representatives of both the reinforcement and coupler manufacturers inspected reinforcement bars on site and confirmed that they were defective and were unlikely to provide the required tensile capacity when connected.
AUS-10 Near miss when modifying brickwork
A reporter’s experience of creating a new door opening in an existing brick wall on the first floor of an old building is not always as simple as it would appear.
849 Safe use of lifting magnets
A two-tonne lift using magnetic lifting equipment was abandoned, averting a potential high consequence event, says a reporter.
852 Rotting of cross-laminated timber (CLT) roof panels
The reporter was asked to check the roof of a building which had been leaking for a few years but was still occupied.
854 Suspended ceiling partial collapse
A suspended ceiling formed from a lay-in grid partially collapsed in a school classroom.
857 Fire resistance of multi-storey car parks
The reporter visited a recently constructed car park which contained some of the design issues discussed in the February 2018 SCOSS Alert on Fire in Multi-Storey Car Parks.
858 Repeating the same mistakes
A correspondent who investigates engineering failures has submitted a CROSS report to share common errors which engineers keep repeating.
US-03 Failure to maintain roof drainage during re-roof leads to ponding stability collapse
A correspondent reports a roof collapse caused by failure to maintain roof drainage during a re-roofing operation.
866 Portal frame design and fabrication
A reporter is concerned that, in some cases, no structural design is carried out for steel portal frames.
US-05 Dismantling of tower cranes
The falling of two cranes during dismantling in 2019, on the the US and one in the UK, prompts reflections on crane safety on construction sites.
870 Principal Designers’ obligations for temporary works
A correspondent believes that the new BS 5975:2019 standard places some onerous duties on the Principal Designer.
AUS-11 Design and erection of prefabricated (precast) concrete
A correspondent considers that there should always be an experienced temporary works designer for prefabricated concrete structures as many structural engineers do not consider the erection methodology when designing such structures.
873 Propping of post-tensioned slabs
An infill slab strip was not poured in time, resulting in overloading of the slab below during a concrete pour.
874 Reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) roof planks - sharing experiences
A reporter has surveyed a number building with RAAC roof planks and wants to share their experiences to help others.
US-06 Rigid wall flexible diaphragm roof collapse in earthquake
A correspondent reports on the partial collapse of a roof of a one-story building in California during a 2019 earthquake. The building has rigid masonry bearing walls and a flexible roof diaphragm.
AUS-12 Maintenance of multi-storey buildings
A correspondent notes that the issues currently affecting several high-rise buildings in Australia are inevitably focused on design, construction, and certification; whereas there are other issues relating to ongoing inspection, maintenance, and (ultimately) demolition which seem to have been ignored.
AUS-13 Dislodged finger plate on highway bridge
A correspondent received a report about a 1.5m long section of a steel finger plate expansion joint on a highway bridge that had been inadequately fixed and became dislodged.
882 Post-tensioned slab failure
Lessons learned after the end of a slab burst during a cable tensioning operation are shared by a reporter.
885 Disproportionate collapse assessment of Large Panel System (LPS) buildings
A reporter has become concerned by the approach being taken by some engineers to assess the risk of disproportionate collapse due to fire in LPS buildings.
886 Unconservative design of flat slab
A reporter discusses how a design/modelling problem caused an under-designed RC slab to be constructed.
889 Dangerous substitution of lintels on domestic projects
A contractor was unaware that a substituted lintel did not have the same structural properties as the specified lintel.
US-09 Coliseum failure
This is a legacy case study of the 1978 collapse of the roof of the Hartford Coliseum in Hartford, CT. Current-day comments by CROSS-US and CROSS-UK expert panels are included.
894 Checking reinforcement before concrete pours
A reporter shares their concerns about rebar positioning on site prior to concrete being poured.
899 Glazing design and horizontal barrier loading
A reporter shares problems they have encountered with barrier loading requirements on a curtain walling glazing system.
902 Unauthorised structural alterations to accommodate drainpipes
A reporter became aware of cases where main structural steel sections were ‘butchered’ to accommodate drainpipes.
904 Structural issues with cladding
A reporter who investigates cladding failures shares common issues they have encountered.
905 Consequences of low professional fees
An engineer says that despite public concerns about workmanship issues on site, low professional fees mean that engineers are not able to adequately check the work on site.
906 Missing punching shear reinforcement
Two separate engineers observed the omission of design punching shear reinforcement prior to slab pours on site.
908 Failure of RAAC planks in schools
Further issues with defective RAAC planks in flat roofs are highlighted in this report.
US-11 The use of stand-off brackets for C-shaped cornice hooks for scaffolding support
A correspondent reports that using stand-off brackets with C-shaped cornice hooks for supporting suspended scaffolding have been contributing factors in safety incidents in certain circumstances.
911 Suspended ceiling collapse in high-rise tower block
Concerns are raised about where designers duties lie in certain contractual relationships.
915 Crane outrigger loads underestimated due to misuse of software
The crane boom was not in the worst-case position when crane outrigger loads were calculated for a particular lift.
AUS-14 Overloading metal decking in temporary state
During construction of steel structures with composite metal decking floors, a reporter has observed numerous occasions when the metal decking was close to being overloaded.
AUS-15 Insufficient attention to the construction of tower crane bases
While working on construction sites a reporter was involved with tower crane bases supported on piles with pile caps and pedestals with cast-in anchors. Unfortunately several crane bases had significant construction defects and the reporter gives three examples.
921 Fire protection of mixed hot/cold rolled steel structure
A high rise building had to be remediated after it was found that there was insufficient encasement of structural elements.
926 Emergency motorway lane closure during concrete repairs
Confusion during concrete repair works led to an unplanned emergency lane closure of a bridge carrying a motorway.
AUS-18 High rise balustrade design
Design of balustrades on high rise buildings with particular reference to wind loads and glass infill panels.
AUS-19 GFRP reinforcement in concrete structures
A correspondent has become aware of work being undertaken in the field of glass fibre reinforced polymer (GFRP) reinforcement as a substitute for steel rebar in concrete structures and is deeply concerned by what they have observed.
AUS-20 Collapse of a reinforcing cage
The reinforcing cage to a blade pier for an overpass bridge collapsed without warning when nearing completion.
AUS-21 Inspection and maintenance of Super-T bridge girders
Durability and maintenance of bridge Super-T girders with particular reference to the lack of access to inspect the sealed internal cavities.
AUS-22 Light gauge steel fabrication
Referring to Report AUS-4, Light steel truss issues, this reporter has concerns about the low ductility of the high tensile steel, in particular with respect to connection design and capacity.
958 Roof collapse at primary school
Blocked outlets likely lead to the build up of water on a school roof, causing collapse.
ICE Bridges 2014
5 JUNE 2014 Bridges are a vital component of society’s infrastructure. Existing bridges must be safeguarded, and new ones are required to ensure better overall infrastructure that is able to support an ever increasing network. The ICE Bridges 2014 conference will focus on increasing knowledge, sharing new techniques and showcasing innovation that can revolutionise bridges.
Constructing Health and Safety 2014
The topic of this conference is Improving Welfare, Standards and Practice and the event will be held at ICE London on 25 September 2014. Go the full report below for a link to full details. ICE is s sponsor of Structural-Safety.
CIRIA event on movement in buildings - January 2015
CIRIA have updated their seminal guidance about the effects of 'movements' in buildings. Quite a few of the problems reported to them include stressing or loss of support due to thermal, shrinkage and other movement effects. CIRIA are running a CPD event on 27 January 2015. Click on 'View Report' for web link.
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